Formation of discourse on technological sovereignty in the agro-industrial complex: based on expert surveys

This article examines how key professional groups in Russia’s agro-industrial complex perceive the strategy of technological sovereignty. The authors consider technological sovereignty not only as an economic category, but also as a management practice whose success depends on the formation of a supportive discourse in the professional environment. The methodological basis of the study consisted of qualitative and quantitative methods: in-depth interviews and an expert survey among agronomists and top managers of agricultural enterprises, mainly from southern Russia. Key structural barriers that shape the skeptical discourse around the achievability of technological sovereignty have been identified. It has been established that the absolute priority in this problem area is the acute shortage of qualified personnel, which experts consider to be more significant than financial or foreign policy challenges. The second key problem is the loss of the scientific heritage of the USSR, which manifests itself in the inadequacy and poor equipment of scientific laboratories, as well as in the disconnect between science and the real sector. The conclusion is that without profound socio-economic reforms aimed at revitalizing rural areas and large-scale investments in human capital, the discourse on technological sovereignty will remain skeptical, and its prospects will be assessed as moderate.

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